Create Your Own Fundraiser Fundraising Idea: Audrey’s Angels
It began with a life-altering diagnosis.
In 2010, 5-year-old Audrey was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a cancerous tumor that develops in the nervous system of babies and very young children. Each year, approximately 800 children get diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the United States.1 With stage 4 neuroblastoma, young Audrey was in the high-risk category, meaning the disease had already rapidly spread and grown in critical areas of her body.
A Search for a Cure
Since high-risk neuroblastoma is difficult to treat, Audrey had to undergo intensive treatments. Standard childhood cancer treatments can have both short-term and long-term effects on a child’s health and well-being. While these treatments are designed to save lives and prevent cancer from recurring, they can also cause significant side effects that may impact a child’s quality of life.
For ten years, Audrey underwent severe treatments at various hospitals across the country. She also participated in several clinical trials in search of a cure. Clinical trials provide access to new treatments that are not yet available to the general public. Through childhood cancer research, these treatments may be more effective than current therapies, and participating in a clinical trial can provide children with the latest advances in cancer treatment.
A Fundraising Idea
As a high-risk neuroblastoma survivor, Audrey knew firsthand the importance of raising awareness and funds to help advance childhood cancer research. So, one day, when Audrey was 11 years old, she gathered four of her closest friends, Laura, Mary Campbell, Mary Kent, and Ellie, to brainstorm fundraising ideas to help kids with cancer like her.
In 2016, the childhood cancer fundraiser organization, Audrey’s Angels, was born. Using recycled aluminum soda cans, the team of friends made colorful “angel” ornaments in a variety of beautiful patterns and colors. The girls then began selling their vibrant handmade ornaments at gift fairs throughout the Atlanta, Georgia area. To help other children undergoing cancer treatments, Audrey and her friends donated the money they raised to childhood cancer nonprofits like Solving Kids’ Cancer.
A Lasting Impact
To date, Audrey’s Angels has helped raise over $50,000 to help support childhood cancer research. What began as a fundraising idea between friends became the start of a business with the aspiration of helping children going through cancer treatment by raising funds for pediatric cancer research.
Being a childhood cancer survivor has given Audrey a new perspective and hope: “Making the angels is an amazing way for me to give back to the community even as a student. I want to support those who have been in the same situation as I have and hope for a better future for children with cancer.”
Create Your Own Childhood Cancer Fundraiser to Help Kids
Like Audrey and her friends, you can help kids with cancer by creating your own fundraiser to support childhood cancer research! Fundraising can help raise money for much-needed research and provide resources for kids with cancer and their families. With Solving Kids’ Cancer’s Create Your Own Fundraiser program, you can personalize a cancer fundraiser in a fun and creative way, while contributing to our mission of accelerating innovative treatments to cure children with the most fatal cancers — because every kid deserves to grow up. 